Tibet: The Bradt Travel Guide
- Book Review,
by Michael Buckley
Book Description
Readers will enjoy this guide to Greater, or Ethnic, Tibet including a chapter on routes through the northern and eastern areas of Kham and Amdo. The "Land of the Snows" boasts opportunities for the highest trekking in the world, with panoramic landscapes dotted with Buddhist monasteries clinging to sheer hilltops and nomadic Tibetans herding yaks on pasture land. Exploring Tibet independently is a challenge, with some of the wildest and roughest road routes in high Asia. Trekking, motoring, and mountain biking are all covered in this new guide, along with the political and cultural issues associated with traveling within this Chinese-occupied country. Practical information on visas, route planning, and essential words and phrases will help smooth the way for visitors. Advice is provided for traveling with minimum impact on Tibet's natural environment.
From the Back Cover
Tibet is a land of monks and mystery, of high adventure and high controversy. The "land of snows" boasts the world's highest peaks and its deepest gorges. Despite Chinese incursions, you can experience the timeless rhythms of the ancient Tibetan civilization, as nomads herd their yaks, pilgrims make their way around sacred Mount Kailash, and monks chant in prayer halls lit by yak-butter lamps. Exploring the Tibetan plateau has always been a great challenge. This new Bradt guide provides travelers with the keys to access this extraordinary realm. Inside you will find: in-depth coverage of history and culture; lucid descriptions of temples and sights; 35 clear, concise maps; details of "star treks"; information on the regions of Kham and Amdo; essential phrases in Tibetan and Chinese.
About the Author
Michael Buckley is an experienced adventure traveler, who has explored an extensive area of Central Asia, Tibet, and China. His modes of transport have included trekking, mountain biking, and hitchhiking. He lives in Vancouver, Canada, and has written or contributed to eight titles about the Himalayan and Southeast Asian region.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
"Intense" is a word that applies to many aspects of Tibet. It applies to the amazing resilience of the Tibetan people in the face of extreme adversity. Their battle has been largely a pacifist one--suffering, enduring--a game of ultimate patience and tolerance. "Intense" captures the feel of the landscape. The intensity of colors at this elevation is extraordinary--with glacial-blue lakes, luminous-yellow fields of mustard, deep reds and browns of barren rock landscapes, and then, up on the horizon looms an ethereal Himalayan snowcap, backed by piercing blue skies. The colors practically glow: when you show photographs of these landscapes to people who haven't been there, they question the unreal colors--"What kind of filter did you use?"
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